Read a full match report of the Carling Cup game between Exeter City and
Liverpool at St James’ Park
on Wednesday Aug 24, 2011.

The old maxim goes that you can’t put a price on peace of mind. After spending more than £100 million of John Henry’s money in the last year, peace of mind is probably the least expected of Kenny Dalglish. Only Exeter?

Last year it was 'only Northampton', and what a miserable night that turned out to be. Part of Dalglish’s brief is to render the simple a formality, and so it proved here.

League One Exeter ran and ran and did themselves proud, but never seriously looked like claiming Liverpool’s scalp. Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll combined sumptuously and walked off with a goal each. The midfield took another modest step forward with a clever, energetic display.

The only fly in the ointment was an injury to Raul Meireles’s collarbone that will sideline him for "a few weeks", according to Dalglish.

"It was a worthwhile exercise," he said. "The most important thing was their attitude to the game. They started properly, in the right frame of mind. We said before the game that we would make changes, but it was not being disrespectful either to Exeter City or the Carling Cup. One thing we’ve learned as a football club is you’ve got to be respectful."

In fact, Dalglish put out a surprisingly strong side, with about £75 million of talent in it. This was to be no relaxed run-out for the reserves, but an audition for Liverpool’s A-listers. Suarez, Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson all started. Carroll replaced Meireles after the first quarter and immediately started throwing his weight around.

But against a side who can play some decent football of their own, Liverpool were keeping the ball on the floor and moving it around attractively. Adam was spraying 40-yard passes; Henderson, revelling in a slightly freer role, drifted out to the right and then back into the centre. The defence remained solid, at least until the last 10 minutes.

Liverpool played some good stuff. Good enough, in fact, that Henderson scarcely needed to dive in an attempt to win a penalty, as he did in the second half. By then, though, the game was won. Suarez volleyed in the first on 23 minutes after Carroll had forced Artur Krysiak into a rushed punch from Henderson’s cross.

Daniel Nardiello should have equalised when given a free header shortly before half-time, but Liverpool wasted little time in putting the game to bed after the break.

Maxi Rodriguez scored the second in the 55th minute from Suarez’s pull-back, while Suarez also had a hand in the third three minutes later, beautifully nutmegging Troy Archibald-Henville and slipping the ball to Carroll, who beat Krysiak with an unstoppable shot from 20 yards.

Curiously, it was only the recognition that the tie was over that seemed to inspire Exeter to make a game of it. As Liverpool slipped into autopilot, Exeter swarmed at them, and thoroughly earned their consolation goal.

Nardiello twisted free of Martin Skrtel and made sure he caught the trailing leg. No debates over the penalty, which Nardiello emphatically converted himself. It was fitting that Exeter should emerge with something and Grecians manager Paul Tisdale was rightly proud of his team.

"The boys can be pleased with what they showed and it was nice to get on the scoresheet," he said. "We were expecting a strongish side and they had an extremely strong bench, so we knew we didn’t want to score too early in case they brought that bench on!"

But with their passage into the third round secure, it is Liverpool who walk on, and after a showing like this, with not a little hope in their hearts too.